7 Essential Bicycle Gear for Heading out on the Road

If you haven’t been biking for a while, you might have forgotten these essential elements. You’ll need your bicycle of course, but you’ll need to make sure you pick up these important pieces of bicycle gear before you head out on that biking path.

Helmet

A helmet is an extremely important safety element. Many bike helmets have saved lives. Even a small fall from a bike can be a massive injury if you hit the curb or a rock without a helmet. It’s better to be safe than suffer a brain injury from an enjoyable hobby.

Reflective Clothing

Reflective clothing will help drivers see you when you’re riding a bike at night. While you might not plan on night riding, it’s easy to get caught out past sunset when you’re enjoying the ride and the view. It could get overcast and dreary in a flash during a storm too. Reflective clothing will allow others to see you in a storm.

Mirror

When making turns and checking for cars, you’ll wonder how you rode without a mirror before. A mirror helps you keep aware of your surroundings and avoid cars, other riders and trucks. You can mount it on the left side of your handlebars for easy viewing.

Lock

This essential piece of equipment will keep your bike from being stolen. Don’t purchase a flimsy chain lock because you think you’ll keep your bike in view. It takes only a moment for a thief to break a flimsy chain. Purchase a U-lock and mount it around your frame.

Tyre Pump

You should always have your own tyre pump. It should be compact and easily stored someplace on the bike itself. When out during your ride, you might notice that your tyres are getting low. Riding on low tyres can cause serious problems in the future. It could be a long walk back home without a tyre pump strapped to your bike.

Headlight

Along with reflective clothing, a headlight is essential for night time riding. It alerts oncoming traffic to your presence. It’s especially helpful when drivers are entering from a side street. They can see your bike’s headlight before they’ll see the bike or the rider.
Brass Bell

While not essential, a brass bell is fun. It’ll alert pedestrians to the fact that you’re heading towards them. It’ll remind you of riding your bike as a child too. Nothing is as fun as a brass bell on your handlebars unless it’s a playing card in your tire spoke.